


Tutoring

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, the title is subject to change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-16
Updated: 2014-05-16
Packaged: 2018-01-25 00:18:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1622192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During an afternoon of tutoring, Haruka discovers that Rin is there for more than just helping him through exams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tutoring

“Rin, you’re heavy.”

“...”

Haruka rolled his right shoulder to dislodge the head of tousled red hair that had settled there.

“Oi,” Rin grunted.

“Oi yourself. Who said you could use me as a pillow?”

“Ungrateful,” Rin mumbled and sat up properly. “Let’s see how you’re doing.”

He reached for the English homework that Haruka had been working on and scanned it briefly before nodding.

“So far so good. Continue.”

He returned the papers to Haruka and then tried to return to his earlier position, but Haruka dodged.

“Haruuuuu,” Rin whined.

“Is that all you have to say?”

Haruka was quite surprised. Usually when Rin helped him with his homework, he spent a lot of time criticizing it. An activity that Haruka suspected Rin secretly enjoyed and had even said so a couple of times (“It’s to help you, damn it!”)

“Tch. Yeah. Continue, will you?”

Rin opted to not make another attempt for Haruka’s shoulder and laid down on the floor instead. He entwined his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes.

Haruka glanced curiously down at his face and took in the dark circles under his eyes and his pallid complexion that he had not noticed before.

He lowered a hand tentatively to Rin’s forehead.

“Haru... What’re you doing?”

“It’s not hot.”

“No.”

“Are you hungry?”

Rin snorted. “I’m not. What’s with all the attention?”

Haruka stilled his hand after realizing that he had begun tracing circles onto Rin’s forehead with his thumb.

“You’re not acting like yourself.”

“I could say the same for you,” Rin cheekily replied.

Haruka gave him a light swat.

“Ow! Okay. Okay. I just haven’t been getting enough sleep lately.”

Haruka felt a pang of guilt.

It was almost the examination period at both their schools and everyone was studying hard with no respite since club activities had been cancelled. Haruka was aware that Rin took his studies very seriously, but since he had been coming over to tutor him almost every afternoon, he had assumed that Rin had his own studying under control.

“If you don’t even have time to sleep, why have you-”

“Because you’d probably fail if I didn’t,” Rin interrupted. “I heard that you haven’t been studying enough on your own. You’re not trying to protest not being allowed to swim, are you?”

“Who told you...?”

“A little bird...”

_A little bird with green eyes and a penchant for worrying more about others than for himself._

“He needs tutoring just as much as I do.”

“We’ve been going over it online. And I noticed that you didn’t deny the thing earlier!”

“Online?”

“Through emails and stuff. Don’t ignore the last part!”

Haruka furrowed his brow in confusion. If Rin was willing to tutor Makoto online, then why did he bother to come tutor him in person? It was a lot more effort, especially for someone who did not have a lot of time on his hands.

“I could’ve emailed you too...”

“With the way you text, I have my doubts,” Rin said dryly.

“Why don’t you just tutor us together then?” Makoto _did_ live right next door.

“It’s fine,” Rin replied dismissively.

Haruka did not understand, but he chose not pursue the matter any further. Rin operated differently than he did and he did not want to stress himself out trying to decipher everything he did.

He was about to return to his homework when Rin mumbled, “I can’t swim with you so...”

Haruka’s eyes widened as he realized what Rin was trying to say.

“Did you...want to spend time with me?”

Rin sat up so fast that Haruka did not have time to remove his hand. It landed awkwardly from Rin’s forehead to his thigh. His formerly pale face turned red and he hastily removed it.

“Didn’t you hear me when I told you to continue with your work?! Get to it already!”

Rin stood up and strode towards the door leading to the hallway.

“Where are you going?” Haruka called after him.

“Bed. Borrowing yours. Wake me up when you’re done.”

“But doesn’t that defeat your purpose for being here?”

“I’ll go over your work when I wake up.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Rin turned and gaze him a puzzled look. Haruka could not help but smile a little as he watched the understanding dawn on his face.

_Didn’t you want to spend time with me?_

Rin threw him a glare and stomped away.

Chuckling softly, Haruka turned back to his work. 

* * *

Haruka opened the door to his room to find Rin dozing on his bed. He was lying on his back with his hair fanned out on the pillow and the blanket drawn up to his chest.

Haruka sat lightly next to him and reached for his shoulder to shake him awake, but paused when he glanced at Rin’s face and saw the serene expression there. The circles under his eyes had lightened and his pallor had gone away. His breathing came out slow, even, and relaxed.

_It looks like he needed that..._

The pang of guilt from earlier returned.

_He wants to be here. But..._

Haruka sighed and proceeded to call Rin’s name.

“Huh? Haru?” Rin groggily sat up and squinted at him.

“I’m done the work.”

“Ah. Hand it over.”

“We can deal with it next time... You should probably get going so you can get to bed earlier.”

“It’s fine. I’m not _that_ tired.”

“Are you sure? You seemed really comfortable drooling all over my pillow.”

“I wasn’t-! J-Just give me your work!”

Rin grabbed the papers from Haruka and began furiously going over them.

Haruka smiled and draped himself over Rin’s legs. Rin did not comment as he was preoccupied with moaning over the mistakes he found and lecturing him on plural noun forms.

“...It’s “I visited many beach _es_.” Words that end in - _ch_ require an - _es_ for the plural. Haru, are you listening?”

Twenty minutes later, the thoroughly edited papers were on Haruka’s desk and he and Rin were at the front door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Rin said as he bent down to put on his shoes.

“You should bring your work here too. It’ll save you time.”

Rin glanced up at Haruka in surprise.

“I’d probably have to stay longer... To fit it in with tutoring.”

“Okay.”

“I might have to sleep over...”

“As I said before, you seemed really comfortable drooling-”

“I don’t drool!”

Rin hurriedly stood and rushed out the door. He was not fast enough though for Haruka to miss the broad smile that stretched across his face.

Haruka watched him go and did not realize until Rin was out of sight that he was mirroring his expression.

It was true that he had not been studying as hard on his own as he should have been, but it was not for the reason that Rin had guessed.

It had more to do with how he felt more motivation to study when Rin was around being enthusiastic over the work they were doing. And how whenever he did try to study on his own, his eyes spent more time fixed on the place where Rin usually sat than on his papers.

Not to mention how both their answers to the question

 _Did you want to spend_ more _time with me?_

were the same.

 


End file.
